Grave Digger

The Grave Digger was a mysterious man who was busy digging graves outside the Temple of the Oracle in Athens during its siege. He claimed it to be Kratos', but soon became a helping hand when Kratos attempted to escape the Underworld. The Grave Digger, it turns out, is actually the mortal guise of Zeus, the King of the Gods.

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The grave digger first appeared digging a grave in front of the Oracle's Temple when he is approached by Kratos whom he quickly identifies. The Spartan wondered why he was digging a grave in the middle of a battle however, the digger told him it was an important one when Kratos asked who it is met to be for he is told "You will my son !" until sending the surprised Spartan on his way. Later on when Kratos was killed by Ares at Pandora's Temple and was journeying through the Underworld a stone with rope tied to it fell from a hole. Kratos climbed the rope and return back to Athens at the Oracle's temple where he was met by the Grave Digger. It turns out his statement about Kratos using the grave he was digging was accurate as it proved to be the perfect portal for Kratos to use whilst escaping the Underworld. The digger commented on Kratos he just finished digging the hole as the spartan asked him who he was to which the digger was about to answer until they heard an explosion .The Digger told Kratos to go quickly but the Spartan asked how he knew of the situation to which the mysterious man answered " Athena isn't the only god keeping watch on you, Spartan." Afterward he disappeared, with his voice telling Kratos to defeat Ares so that his sins would be forgiven. The identity of the man was a source of great controversy for fans, who speculated he was either Zeus, or Hermes in disguise. As such, similarities were noted between his voice and Zeus', particularly when he gave Zeus' Fury to Kratos.

Knowing the facts revealed in God of War III, the act of Zeus helping Kratos was probably because of him being oblivious that anyone would actually succeed in opening Pandora's Box. If anything, Zeus might have thought its power would be used by Kratos without actually releasing the evils sealed within. Furthermore, during that time, Zeus probably never fully realised the threat Kratos would pose, thus helping him in a moment which would otherwise have resulted in Kratos' certain death.

It is also possible that Zeus and the other gods feared Ares' increasing belligerence, and thus they positioned Kratos to succeed in destroying Ares, but Zeus remained in disguise to avoid being discovered - and thus avoided a potential war between the gods.

The Grave Digger reappears in Ghost of Sparta. Kratos first encounters him as he makes his way through the city of Heraklion. There, the Grave Digger addresses Kratos, and advises him to turn back now and give up his quest. Determined to find Deimos, Kratos ignores the advice and continues on.

After his victory over Thanatos, which cost Deimos his life, Kratos carries the dead body of Deimos up the Path of Solitude to the peak of Suicide Bluffs. There, he once again finds the Grave Digger waiting for him. He shows Kratos a freshly dug grave, in which Kratos places Deimos to be buried. Kratos stands at the edge of the bluffs and briefly ponders of suicide before relenting and asking of no one in particular "By the Gods, what have I become?" The Grave Digger replies "Death. The Destroyer...of Worlds,", before disappearing as the Spartan to face him.

After Kratos had left the Bluffs and returned to Olympus, the Grave Digger appears once more, this time carrying the dead body of Callisto. He lays her in another grave and silently pays his respects to her. However, between the graves of both Deimos and Callisto is a third grave that is currently empty. To this, the Grave Digger simply says that now "only one remains", referring to Kratos.

After unlocking all other items in the Temple of Zeus, players can obtain the Grave Digger's Shovel, which allows them to use the Grave Digger costume in the Combat Arena. While the costume showed in the arena settings menu is the Grave Digger (giving the impression that the decrepit old man is a playable character), the actual match starts with him plunging the shovel into the ground, conjuring a large thunderbolt on himself, revealing his true form. His character model seems to be the same as the one from God of War II, evidenced by his stance and attacks wielding the Blade of Olympus. He also uses the Gauntlet that was acquired by Kratos in Chains of Olympus.

In the God of War documentary, God of War: Unearthing the Legend, Stig Asmussen (Game Director, God of War III) confirmed that The Grave Digger was indeed Zeus. The documentary came packaged in the God of War III Ultimate Edition in the form of a downloadable content from the PSN store. It has since also been released for purchase from the PSN store for $4.99.

His quote, "Death, destroyer of worlds" is a reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the leading physicists of the Manhattan Project. This quote is also an easter egg in God of War II, as it appears in the sky during the vein puzzle if the player press R1 on the several specific locations. The phrase in the sky is: "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."

Alan Oppenheimer, who plays Prometheus, is a descendant of J. Robert Oppenheimer, specifically, his third cousin.

A hint of Zeus' identity comes from the Grave Digger calling Kratos, "my son" as early as God of War.